Life As They Know It
by svvya
Summary: Kyo, Tohru, and their daughter are leading a happy, curse-free life... Until Akito comes and ruins life as they know it. Can their relationship survive the trials that follow?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket. Never have, never will.**

Okay. I realize that the Curse being reborn is an overused theme. I know Kyo and Tohru having a child named Kyoko is overused as well. And, I'm not a fan of OCs... However... I still really want to do this story. I've had this idea for a long time, and hopefully it won't be the same as all the others similar to it, and I'm not going to have Kyoko being an uber major character, because she's not canon. Spoilers up to Volume 20 possible...

This first chapter is very much filler. But here on out it will get more serious. On with the show...

--

Kyo

"…And the Curse was broken." Kyo Sohma nodded, satisfied with the recollection of his childhood. It was funny how he could talk about the former Curse so casually since it had been broken twenty years ago. Kyo stole a glance at his daughter's notebook- She was the one he was telling the story to, for an essay she had to write for Literature class. The notebook was blank. "Why didn't you write any of that down?"

His daughter, Kyoko Sohma, just stared at him, a _geez-you're-an-idiot _expression on her face. Kyo grinned, because he was no stranger to that expression, he used to use it a lot. "Dad, you still expect me to believe that story? I'm not five anymore." The sixteen year old girl stood up with a _tch!_ing noise under her breath. "I'm just going to talk to mom." She stormed out of the room, and Kyo could hear her grumbling something about not being able to do her stupid Literature assignment. Her long orange hair flew out behind her, like it was scolding Kyo for keeping his daughter from doing her homework.

Kyo smiled, stood up, and stretched. She would be out of luck if she asked her mom, Tohru Sohma, because her life had a lot to do with the Sohma's curse as well. Indeed, when he looked into the kitchen, where Tohru was doing that night's dishes, Kyoko was already getting frustrated with her.

"Why don't you ask Dad, Koko-chan?" Tohru suggested while she rinsed a glass off and set it next to the sink to dry. "He's had a very interesting life. The way the Curse broke is much more-"

"You too?" Kyoko groaned and Kyo's smile grew wider. After she found out Santa wasn't real, she started doubting other seemingly impossible stories she had been told- The Curse being one of them. Since then, she always got annoyed when Kyo and Tohru talked about it seriously. "And don't call me Koko-chan," she added as an afterthought. She had outgrown her parent's nickname for her as she grew older, too.

Kyo watched from the doorway as Tohru laughed and began speaking again. He couldn't see his wife's face from his vantage point, but he could imagine eyes sparkling with laughter that matched the laughter in her voice when she said, "I take it you already talked to him?"

With an exaggerated sigh, Kyoko nodded. "His first line was," at this point, Kyoko's voice dropped an octave lower in an almost passable imitation of Kyo, "'I was born under the vengeful spirit of the Cat from the Chinese Zodiac.'" Her voice went back to her normal pitch, "Like I'm supposed to believe that."

Tohru laughed but didn't comment. She opened her mouth, but Kyo decided to make his entrance. "You're not going to defend me, Tohru?" He walked over to her put his arms around her waist. She giggled like she was the teenager in the room when he pulled her close to him, something he never tired of doing. Retelling the story of his old life made him remember how he wasn't even able to hug Tohru without transforming. He was always afraid he would start taking being able to hug her and Kyoko for granted, but he hadn't so far.

"She's not a little kid anymore, Kyo-kun. She can't be expected to believe that silly story," Tohru giggled. Her tone was surprisingly sarcastic- Admittedly that was not very sarcastic at, but enough to get the point across- and Kyoko noticed.

"If you two can't take this seriously, I'm just going to talk to someone else tomorrow!" She fumed. "I'm going to bed."

"Oh?" Tohru asked. "Already? What time is it?" Kyo glanced at the clock on the microwave that sat on the counter beside him and informed her, "Ten-thirty."

Tohru gasped and twisted out of Kyo's arms. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and said hurriedly, "I need to get to bed. You two don't have to get up early tomorrow, but I need my sleep if I'll be able to teach a class full of kindergartners." Yes, Tohru had become a kindergarten teacher, something she was amazing at. Since she was so friendly and happy, she had no problem connecting with little kids.

"It's not my fault the dojo is being remodeled," Kyo said with a smile as he gave Tohru another quick hug. He was a dojo master with Hatsuharu now. And Kyoko's school had a teacher's meeting, so she was off the next day, too.

Kyoko yawned and shrugged. "School or not, I'm going to sleep." Kyo and Tohru both hugged her- Hugging, in case it wasn't apparent yet, was important in their family- and she mumbled a typical, uncomfortable-teenager, "G'night. Love you."

"Love you too, Koko-chan," they both said at the same time. Kyo grinned. As much as he hated his own nickname Ayame and Shigure still insited on calling him (Just thinking of 'Kyonkichi' made him cringe), he had grown so used to hearing Tohru use that cute nickname on his daughter, and he had gotten used to it.

"Don't call me that!" Kyoko called predictibly as she walked down the hall toward her room.

"Good night, Kyo-kun." Tohru gave him a kiss that was a little less child friendly, now that their child was out of the room. "I really do have to get to sleep."

"Night, love you. I'll finish the dishes for you." Kyo resisted the urge grab her around the waist again.

"Thank you. I love you too. See you in the morning." With a last look behind her, Tohru disappeared from the room as well.

Kyo stepped to the sink and started to do the dishes. He smiled softly to himself and thought of all the things he did that he would have considered ridiculous when he was Kyoko's age. He offered to do random chores for his wife, threw the words 'I love you' around so much, he gave hugs like they were going out of style, and called his daughter by a cute pet name. "Kyo, you went soft," he muttered to himself. But he didn't mind.

He finished the dishes and made his way to his and Tohru's bedroom. It had been about fifteen minutes since Tohru retired and she was already fas asleep. After changing he lay down beside her in his usual spot and slipped his arms around her middle. He fell asleep almost as quickly as his wife had with no idea that the next morning, everything was going to change.

--

In Kyo's dream, everything was dark. It wasn't dusk, or nighttime dark with a moon and stars, it was pitch black. A stifling dark that seemed to weigh down everything it covered.

"Kyo-kun!"

"Dad!"

Kyo whirled around and around, trying to find out where the voices were coming from. The panic in his wife and daughter's voices was apparant, but he couldn't see them, or even tell which direction their voices were in. "Tohru?" He called. "Kyoko?" There was a scream in the distance, and Kyo just picked a direction to run in and did. He ran until he was panting and out of breath, until he wanted to fall to the ground and give up, but there was another scream and he kept running.

After what seemed like an eternity, Kyo ran into a door. He swore and stood back up- the impact had caused him to fall to the hard, damp ground. After fumbling with the door knob- His hand kept slipping off the handle. It or his hand was wet for some reason- he emerged into a light filled room.

"Oh. Oh, god. Tohru. Tohru!" She was lying face down on the ground and blood was pooled around her head. It stained the white floor around him and soaked through his pants when he knelt down next to her. "Tohru, no, no. Wake up, please!" Panic was taking hold of his brain, and he couldn't stop his hands from shaking as he reached out to touch Tohru. He could wake her up, he could do something to help her.

But he stopped when he saw his hands. They weren't his, they couldn't be. His- No, not his, not anymore- hands weren't hands at all anymore. They were horrible, twisted, scarred claws, and they were covered in blood.

"D-D-Dad..." Kyo spun around and let out a gurgled sort of scream. Kyoko was sitting propped up against a wall of the room and she was covered in blood as well. Her head hung loosely down toward her chest, and he could see her taking shallow gasping breaths. "Dad..."

"No, no, no. Kyoko, Kyoko." Nononono. What had he done?

--

"Dad... Dad, wake up!" Kyo woke up with a start and stared blankly at his daughter for a minute before realization and relief flooded through him.

"Thank god," he mumbled and sat up. He put his face in his hands and shook his head. It had only been a dream. "Where's your mom?" Kyoko standing next to his bed proved he had just been dreaming, but he wanted to make sure.

"Uh, she's at work. Are you okay? You look sick." Kyo nodded and wiped the sweat from his face. He yawned and blinked a few times, the dream was already fading from his mind. It was only a nightmare, after all, although he hadn't had one like that since before the curse was broken.

"Oh," Kyoko continued, "someone's at the door for you. I don't know who it is, but she says she knows you." She watched Kyo apprehensively until he answered.

"'Kay," Kyo nodded and yawned. "I'll be right out." Kyoko left and Kyo quickly made himself presentable. He threw on some appropriate clothes, splashed his face with water, and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

As he made his way out to the living room he heard someone, he assumed the woman who was at the door, talking. "My, you're polite, just like your mother, but you look a lot like your father." The voice was sickeningly familiar. Kyo quickened his pace. He couldn't let that person anywhere near his daughter. He had managed to keep her away for twenty years, and he didn't want to see her again. Not after all the pain she had caused him and the rest of his family.

When he stepped behind Kyoko and faced the woman with a stony glare, a smile crossed her face that didn't meet her eyes.

"Hello, Kyo," Akito said sweetly.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for reading/reviewing/favoriting/ect., everyone! I really appreciate it! Also, I've never written with a majorish OC before, so please tell me if she starts to seem Mary Sue-like. Thanks! Here's capitulo dos!

_Last time..._

_When he stepped behind Kyoko and faced the woman with a stony glare, a smile crossed her face that didn't meet her eyes._

_"Hello, Kyo," Akito said sweetly._

--

Kyoko

Kyoko jumped when her father spoke behind her. "What are you doing here?" For one thing, Kyoko had never heard her dad sound so angry before. Sure, he had been pissed at her for getting into fights at school, or failing a class or two, or swearing at him or her mom, but it sounded like he hated whoever this woman was.

For another thing, "God, dad, don't sneak up on me like that." She clutched at her heart dramatically and tried, ineffectively, to lighten the mood.

The woman raised an eyebrow and told Kyo, "You should teach your daughter not to swear. It's rude in present company."

Kyo sounded like he was trying to keep himself under control when he answered, and, to be honest, it was scary. "She can say that if she wants. It can't offend you after so many years, and if it does, I frankly don't care. Twenty years ago I told you to stay away from me, and the family I was going to have, Akito. _What do you want?_"

"I only came to say hello." The woman's, Akito's, tone was innocent, but her eyes were stormy. Then she turned her face toward Kyoko and smiled disarmingly. If it wasn't for her eyes, the girl would have thought she was sincere. She stuck out a hand, presumably for Kyoko to shake, and said, "I'm Akito Sohma. It's a pleasure finally to meet Kyo's daughter. Shigure has only good things to say about you."

So this woman was their estranged cousin. For reasons neither Kyoko's mom or dad would explain, at any family reunion or party, Shigure always came alone, and no one ever mentioned his wife.

Kyoko hesitantly reached out her hand to shake Akito's but before they made contact-

"Ow! What the hell, dad?" Kyo had grabbed Kyoko's arm and pulled her roughly away from the door. He had never hurt her outside of the dojo before, her parents didn't even spank her when she was little, but that felt like it was going to bruise. She rubbed her arm, but shrank away from Kyo when she saw his face. His eyes were narrowed in a glare at Akito, and they were filled with malice.

Kyo didn't answer, just stepped in front her protectively. "_Don't touch my daughter_," he growled.

"Oh, Kyo," Akito sighed sadly, "do you really want to talk to _me_ like that?"

"After the torture you put me through, I think I have the right to talk to you any way I want. Now _get out_." Kyoko saw her dad flinch as Akito reached her hand toward his face. Before Akito could do whatever she was going to do, Kyo grabbed her wrist, but when he did so a spasm of emotions crossed his face: More anger, pain, terror, and his eyes widened.

He doubled over and gasped out, "What did you... What the..." His eyes pinched shut and he grimaced. Akito gazed on with a slightly triumphant smile lacing her face.

"Dad? Dad?!" Kyoko's voice broke in her panic and she put a hand on her dad's shoulder. "Dad, what's happening? Should I call an ambulance?" Akito let out a tiny chuckle, and Kyoko was suddenly very afraid of her. Was she the one putting her dad through the pain he was in, and if so, how?

Kyo opened his eyes and met his daughter's frantic gaze. Horror crossed his face and he shook his head. "N-No! Kyoko, get away from me. Stay far away from me." His voice was so urgent that the teen backed a few steps away from him. Kyo let out a few words that Kyoko would have been in trouble for saying, and, under different circumstances it would have been funny to hear her dad swear, but as it was, Kyoko was still trying to decided whether to call a hospital or not.

She was about to run to the phone when Kyo staggered out the door away from her, past Akito, and off the front porch. Before she could follow him, she heard him say, "Stay in-inside, lock the door, and..." He gasped and clutched at his chest, but he continued. "And call your mom. Tell her-" But Kyoko never found out what she was supposed to tell her mom. A loud scream filled the air, and only after a minute did Kyoko realize that she was the one screaming. She clapped a shaking hand over her mouth to stifle the noise, and slammed the door closed with the other. She fumbled with the lock, but couldn't get a firm enough hold on it to turn the knob all the way.

"Oh god, ohgodohgodohgod." Kyoko wasn't easily panicked like her mother, but this was enough to almost send her into shock. What the _hell _had just happened?

As soon as Kyo had stopped talking, a horrible smell filled the air- it was like there was something dead around- and a grotesque monster took the place of her father. It was bigger than a normal person, it had huge claws in the place of hands, and it's body was warped horribly. Akito started laughing, the thing let out a growl, and that was when Kyoko started screaming. If the house wasn't surrounded by woods, and they had neighbors, Kyoko was sure someone would have run over to see what the commotion was.

_"And call your mom._" When Kyoko had calmed herself down enough to think, she remembered her father's words and couldn't come up with anything better to do than just that. It would be better than standing in front of the door shaking.

Kyoko stumbled over to the kitchen, picked up the phone and, after a few tries, managed to dial the number of the elementary school Tohru taught at.

"Hello, Kaibara Elementary, this is-" The voice that answered the phone after four rings was almost laughably cheery given Kyoko's present situation, and she didn't want to here the woman's whole introduction.

"I-I need to talk to Tohru Sohma," she stammered. Her voice was not as calm as she was trying to make it.

"I'm sorry, she's teaching a class right now, but I can take a message if you'd like."

"No!" Kyoko practically shouted. "I mean... I mean, this is an emergency. It's about da- her husband. This is her daughter," she added as an afterthought.

The woman at the other end was silent for a minute, before she answered, "Just a moment."

Kyoko took a few deep breaths that were meant to calm her, but just made her dizzy. Her heart wouldn't slow down, so when her mom answered, her sentence came out in a rush. "Mom, something happened to dad, I don't know what. He-he-he-" Kyoko didn't know how to describe what had happened. She sniffed- She had started crying without noticing- and heard her mom let out a small yelp from the other end.

"Oh no, oh no, is he alright? I thought he looked sick this morning, it isn't like him to sleep late and he looked pale. What happened? Is he at the hospital? Is he alright?" Tohru's voice was panicked, of course, and Kyoko could imagine her knuckles turning white from clutching the phone.

Kyoko shook her head before she realized her mom couldn't her, so she struggled to get all the words out. "I-I don't know what happened. Someone named Akito came and then dad- He- There's some monster where he was now!" Kyoko wiped at her eyes, but continued to cry quietly while she listened to only silence from the other end.

Tohru's voice sounded dangerously calm when she answered- It held no emotion whatsoever, "I'll be home in a few minutes, just stay inside."

"Okay. I wi-" Kyoko let out another short scream when she heard Akito's voice behind her.

"There you are. You, come here." Akito grabbed Kyoko's arm and roughly pulled her back toward the front yard.

"No- No- let go of me!" Kyoko struggled ineffectively at the same time she heard her mom, the panic returned in her voice, yell, "Kyoko? Kyoko?! What's happening?"

Akito yanked the phone out of her hand and, with a small smirk, said, "Hello, Tohru. I told you you wouldn't be able to separate my creatures from me. Consider the past twenty years a vacation." All the while she was pulling Kyoko closer to the monster. Before they walked out of the door, Akito threw the phone to the ground.

By the time it occured to Kyoko that she knew martial arts and could defend herself, she was paralyzed by fear. Akito had stopped a foot away from the monster. She held onto Kyoko's wrists with one hand, and with the other she forced her to lean over so she and the monster were face to face.

"It's hideous, isn't it?" Akito's tone was that of a person commenting on the weather. "You see, Kyoko, this is what your father really is." The thing- it couldn't be her dad, there was no way- let out a roar, and Kyoko whimpered softly. She couldn't move, she was so afraid. Not to mention the smell was making her nauseous. Akito was still talking, but to the monster this time. "I suppose you didn't tell her about this. If I were you, I wouldn't want _my_ daughter to know what I _really_ was."

"Stop! Stop!" It yelled, and Kyoko screamed again. Its voice was deep, raspy, and loud, and it sounded as twisted as the monster's body looked. It's arms moved, and Kyoko was sure it was going to hit her. She closed her eyes and tried to brace herself for the blow, but it never came. She slowly opened them and saw the thing was covering what she assumed to be its ears. It looked tormented, and Kyoko felt a tiny bit of pity for it, but not enough to lessen her fear of it.

Akito was silent for a moment then let out a small laugh. "Mommy's home," she told Kyoko, and when Kyoko listened closely she could hear the crunching of gravel from down the driveway. Within seconds, a silver car schreeched to a halt in front of the three and Kyoko's mom sprang out of the car and slammed the door behind her. She was angry, she was most definitely angry, and Kyoko had never seen her like that before. In their family, Tohru was the peacemaker, and seeing something that was almost, but not quite, like a glare on her face only added to Kyoko's fear.

"Akito, let go of her," Tohru warned. She was walking with a purpose toward Akito, and when she was a few feet away, Akito let go of Kyoko and gave her a small but firm push that sent her tumbling to the ground. Her mom ran over to her, Akito was being ignored now, but when she reached Kyoko and helped her up, the monster backed away.

"Kyo-kun," Tohru said softly. She put one arm around Kyoko, and Kyoko felt a little safer instantly, and reached the other toward the moster. The anger melted from her eyes when she continued, "Kyo-kun, it's okay. Everything's going to be-"

But before she could finish, the monster let out another loud roar, turned tail, and ran into the forest.


	3. Chapter 3

So, it seems right to have a Tohru chapter now, but there are things I need to get in with Tohru, Kyo, and Kyoko, so this chapter will have three POV's... A line break indicates a change. This took me a while, but I'm satisfied. I hope you all are, too!

Thank you everyone who read and/or reviewed the last chapter, I really appreciate it!

--

Last time...

_Kyo-kun," Tohru said softly. She put one arm around Kyoko, and Kyoko felt a little safer instantly, and reached the other toward the monster. The anger melted from her eyes when she continued, "Kyo-kun, it's okay. Everything's going to be-"_

_But before she could finish, the monster let out another loud roar, turned tail, and ran into the forest._

--

Kyoko

"Koko-chan, honey, come on." Tohru was speaking to Kyoko soothingly, but she was tugging resolutely on her arm to get her to go into the forest. "Please, we have to go after dad."

But there was no way, no way at all that she could go into the forest after that thing. It couldn't her dad (although, she didn't know where Kyo _did_go), and so she didn't want put herself in danger. Something like that looked like it would attack something without warning. Kyoko shook her head and tried to refuse with words as well, but nothing was coming out right. "Th-that thing... We can't..."

She was still crying and as crazy as it sounded in the present situation, it was embarrassing her. She didn't usually cry, and now she was showing weakness in front of this stranger who had, presumably, caused all of this- Akito was leaning on her car and watching Kyoko and her mother with a slightly amused expression on her face. But Kyoko couldn't help it, she was so confused and terribly _scared_.

"Please, Kyoko," Tohru's eyes were shining with what Kyoko hoped weren't tears, "I can't leave you here alone," she glanced at Akito, "and- and he needs us, or else he'll never change back." Kyoko's head was spinning.

"Then how does he change back?" This felt ridiculous, but it was all she could think of to say.

"We need to calm him down and then... Oh, the bracelet." She let out a small sob that Kyoko pretended not to notice and then surprisingly started walking back toward the house.

"Giving up?" Akito said the first thing she had since the monster ran into the woods.

That simple question made guilt burn in Kyoko's stomach. She wanted to give up. She regularly gave up, and just wanted to now. Sometimes her dad would say how he was proud that she wasn't like he was when he was her age. According to him, he always pushed his problems onto other people, and was glad Kyoko didn't do that. But that in itself made her feel guilty, because she did give up, and she did push her problems on other people- She silently blamed people for her problems, just like Kyo did at her age. If she thought something, anything, really, was too hard or not worth her while, or she was even too afraid to do it, she just didn't. Just not when her parents were around to see.

This was more or less the same, and Kyoko knew it.

Tohru didn't dignify Akito with an answer, she just quickened her pace and pulled Kyoko back inside. When she shut the door behind them, Kyoko had the strangest feeling that someone was going to jump out from behind the couch and yell, "Cut!"

But she just followed her mom into her parent's bedroom, where Tohru knelt down at the closet door and started digging through a box frantically.

"Mom, what are you looking for?" Kyok shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably and tried to see over her mom's shoulder.

"This." Tohru held up a orange and white beaded bracelet.  


* * *

Tohru

Tohru knelt down next to Kyoko and held the hair out of her daughter's face as she threw up. Tohru rubbed her back and murmured, "It's okay, let it out." She felt so guilty, but she would rather have Kyoko being sick than leave her alone with Akito. Tohru's stomach was churning as well, but she knew she had to stay strong, for herself as much as her family.

Kyoko wiped her mouth and attempted to stand back up. Tohru grabbed a hold of her arms and helped her, and couldn't ignore the tears that were streaking her daughter's face. "M-mom, can't I just stay here?" She was afraid, and that made Tohru feel even worse, but she shook her head and resisted the urge to start crying herself.

"You're safer with me. I don't want you alone anywhere Akito can find you." Tohru started to lead Kyoko through the woods again, they were following the footprints Kyo left in the ground.

"Wh-what did she do? Why did... Why did dad..."

"It's part of the Curse." Tohru and Kyo had never told Kyoko about the bad parts of the Curse. For example, Akito lording over the Zodiac's souls and Kyo's 'true' form.

"The-the Curse isn't real," Kyoko protested, but before Tohru could try and explain they came across a clearing and Tohru saw Kyo with his head in his hands at the other side.

"Kyo-kun," she called to him, and relief flooded through her when he looked up. It was terrifying to see him like this again, but she was even more afraid of ntot being able to find him.

Kyo looked up and Kyoko let out a small whimper, but Tohru let go of her hand and walked slowly toward Kyo. He was watching her warily and although she was moving slowly and trying not to spook him, Kyo moved to his feet and started backing away from her.

* * *

Kyo

Kyo ran and ran. He had to get as far away from his house as possible. The small human part of his brain left knew that if he stayed, he would hurt his family, and while the increasingly larger monster part of his brain was saying that it didn't matter, and if they got too close to him it was their fault, Kyo was still strong enough to run.

As soon as he had touched Akito, Kyo felt like something was trying to rip out of his chest. Even though it had been so long since he had felt that way, he immediately recognized what was happening. He knew he was going to transform into a horrible beast. The Curse was back.

What he really wanted to know, though, wasn't how the Curse was reawakened, but _why_? He felt it break so many years ago. Wasn't it supposed to stay broken?

Now everything was ruined, everything was going to fall apart. Kyo was still human enough to know that. Kyo had only felt confident enough in himself to tell Tohru how he felt when he was about to be dragged away from her, and that was only because it was his last chance. That was when the Curse broke, but it didn't even matter anymore.

Tohru wouldn't want him back, Kyoko would be terrified of him after this, and he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he stayed with them, there would always be a chance he would hurt them. And yet, Kyo wouldn't be able to live, period, if he left them. There was no way he would be able to survive without them. But he wouldn't be selfish enough to put them in danger. If they came after him, he would make them get away from him. It would be best for all of them, right?

"Dammit!" Kyo fell to his knees and put his face- if it could even be called that- in his hands, or claws rather.

And that's where he sat until he heard Tohru call his name. The monster in him was outraged that someone was near him, and intruding on his space, but the quickly shrinking sanity he had a hold of was terrified of hurting her. So he shrank away from Tohru's good intentions and tried not to lash out at her.

"Kyo-kun," she repeated in a voice that was no doubt meant to be soothing. She was less than a foot away from him now. "Kyo-kun, everything is going to be-" He knew what she was going to say, and he knew it was a lie.

"Nothing is alright! Nothing is going to be alright!" Kyo winced at the sound of his own voice and didn't miss the spasm of fear that crossed Tohru's face.

"Kyo-kun, it will be!" She was really trying hard, her eyes were shining with desperate tears, but every second she stood near him, his fear was rising. That was just fueling the monster that he was turning into. "I-I don't know how this happened, but we can fix it, we can get through it!"

"Get away from me! Stay away!" Kyo was trying to protect her, couldn't she see that?

"I can't! I'm not going to leave-" But as soon as he yelled for her to get away, it was like he and the monster were agreeing on something, and the human Kyo had no control over what happened next.

He saw the scene unfold like he was watching from a distance. His arm swung out and caught Tohru in the chest. She fell, the wind no doubt knocked out of her, and any noise of surprise or fear she might have made was cut off by a scream from Kyoko. Kyo's head swung up and looked at her, and her mouth clamped shut immediately. Her eyes were wide in fear, her face was pale and tear stained, and Kyo knew it was because of him. This was his fault, his fault.

"Kyo-kun." Kyo growled and looked back at Tohru. She was getting up from the ground, and Kyo was disgusted with himself. There was a gash on her shoulder that was bleeding pretty badly, and she was wincing at every move. Before he had a chance to strike her again, her arms were around his neck and she whispered, "Kyo-kun, I can't leave you, because I love you! I'm scared, too, but we can get through this. The Curse was broken once before, and we can do it again! I need you, Kyo-kun."

With every word, Kyo felt himself gain a little more control. Tohru's words were so sincere that he couldn't help but be calmed down. That she would risk her life for him like that, he knew there had to be truth to her words. When he knew he had enough control to do so without hurting her, he pushed Tohru away from him. He could tell he was going to transform into a human and, as insane as it sounded, he didn't want to transform into a cat.

When he was human again, Tohru grabbed his shaking hands in hers. Wordlessly, she pulled a beaded bracelet out of her pocket and handed it to him. She looked a little ashamed as he took it, but Kyo was grateful. He didn't want there to be any chance of turning into that thing again.

When the bracelet slipped around his wrist, Kyo felt the aching in his chest settle down to a dull throb that he knew he would have to learn to live with again.

When they stood up and walked back to Kyoko, she still looked terrified. "I- I'm sorry you had to see that," Kyo muttered. He had a hard time getting the words out. "It won't- won't happen again." He pointed to his bracelet, but didn't know how to explain what it did at the moment.

"It's- I-" Kyoko looked away. At least she wasn't lying to him and saying she didn't mind, or she wasn't afraid of him, but either way it hurt that she wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Let's go home," Tohru suggested gently, and they did.

--

Kyo froze when his house came back into view and moved closer to Tohru. If someone had asked, he would have said it was to protect her, but it was really to protect himself. Akito was still in their driveway.

"Relax," She said in a voice that did nothing to relax him. Tohru squeezed his hand reassuringly, but Kyo couldn't move. He had the urge to drop everything and follow her, and at the same time, he wanted to run away as fast as he could, before she could cause him more pain.

"I only want to tell you something." A smile played on Akito's lips and she opened the door to her car. But before she climbed into it, she said, "Seeing as you're a monster again, I think our old bet is back in effect." Their bet. That if Kyo beat Yuki, the Rat, before he graduated high school, he wouldn't be put in confinement. But high school was over. "Let's see... High school was three years long, I'll give you three days."

Akito was giving him a cruel shred of hope, but it was all Kyo had and his mind clung to it.

Three days? No problem, he had done it before, and it wouldn't be hard at all.

In his mind, the only way to keep his family from being torn apart, and the only thing he could do to prove he wasn't as weak as he felt at the moment was to beat the damn Rat.

He would kill that Yuki if that's what it took.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, all! Here's the third chapter, from half Yuki's and half Kyo's point of view. Sorry, katalina, you said you hate Yuki, so I don't know how much you'll like this chapter, but it's essential for the story. xD  
Tell me if you all think these switches are confusing... I don't, but then again I'm the one who's writing them.  
So this chapter was hard for me to write, and it might not be up to par, so I apologize  
Thank you to everyone who read/reviewed the last chapter! Enjoy!

--

Yuki

"Daddy, what's this?" Yuki looked down at the young silver-haired girl tugging at his sleeve and pulled her onto his lap.

"What is what?" His and his wife, Machi's, four-year-old daughter, Rena, was going through the stage of asking what everything was, or why everything was, or how everything was. Yuki put down the book he was reading, there was no hope in getting farther anyway, and waited for his daughter's question.

"_This_," Rena repeated. She held up a small pocket calculator and Yuki smiled. He couldn't imagine where the girl found it, or what made a calculator of all things interesting, but as her dad, it was his job to explain these things to her.

"It's called a calculator. It helps you do math."

"What's math?"

Of course. "It's-" He was interrupted by a curt knock on the door.

"Daddy! Did you hear that?!" The girl leapt onto the floor and looked around.

"Someone's at the door, Rena," Machi explained patiently as she entered the room. "I'll get it." Yuki looked fondly at his wife as she walked across the living room to the door, Rena at her heels. Life was so good now. He had everything he ever wanted, a happy home, loving people, peace, and-

"Hello. Is Yuki there?" The voice that spoke when Machi opened the door made Yuki freeze. What was _she_doing at his house? He hadn't seen Akito since the Curse was broken, and he hadn't wanted to. Even though he didn't exactly hate Akito, he knew his past would never let him have a healthy relationship around the former goddess. She had never apologized for what she did to him when he was little, but he just wasn't afraid of her, not since he realized she was harmless.

"Yes, he's right here." Machi glanced at him and, with a deep, calming breath, Yuki lifted himself off the couch and went to face Akito.

The woman looked older than he remembered, and even less threatening than before. How did he ever let this woman hurt of him? It was pathetic, really. "It's been a long time, Yuki," she said sweetly. But Yuki had enough experience with that smile to know something lay behind it.

"Yes, it has been, Akito." At the sound of Akito's name, Yuki heard Machi let out a small gasp. He told her about what happened when he was little and how Akito was involved, but he had never mentioned the Curse. Akito let out a small laugh and Yuki looked at Machi, who had picked Rena up off the floor protectively.

"I don't think there's any reason to be afraid of her anymore." Yuki touched Machi's arm lightly, but he didn't think it did anything to soothe her.

"No?" Yuki glanced back at the woman and saw a small smile on her face, one that wasn't even pretending to be sweet. The former Rat felt a little uneasy, but still, there was nothing Akito could do to him now.

"Please leave." Although Yuki was polite, he wasn't asking. He didn't care what Akito wanted, she was making his wife uneasy and he was uneasy, too.

"You wouldn't turn _me_away, would you?" Akito was speaking in the tone of a mother scolding a child, but the unsettling smile never left her face. She grabbed a hold of Yuki's hand before he could even consider moving out of the way, and as soon as she did, everything changed.

Akito changed in his eyes from something pitiful to something to be feared- What had he been thinking before, thinking that this woman was harmless. And yet, he wanted to run to her and embrace her, too.

"Yuki?" Machi's worried tone made him realize that tears were running down his face. "Yuki, what's wrong?"

"Daddy?" Rena sounded as worried as a four-year-old could be. "Why are you sad?"

"He's not sad." Akito sounded triumphant. "He's happy. Aren't you, Yuki?" It was true. Well, half true at least. A part of him was happy. He was the Rat after all, and he was the closest to God. The thought flashed through his mind, and realization swept over him.

"No," he whispered. "No." The Curse was broken, it was definitely broken. He knew it was broken. Then why was he suddenly feeling an unexplainable connection to the woman in front of him? Yuki had to find out, so he wrapped his arms around Machi and Rena before he could change him mind, and a puff of smoke enveloped him. Machi let out a small shriek and Akito laughed again.

"Go see Kyo if you want an explination," she said in parting.

"Yuki, what- what... What happened?" Machi knelt down beside him, her eyes wide in shock.

"Daddy's a mouse!" Rena squealed.

Yuki had some explaining to do.

* * *

Kyo

Kyo watched Tohru dully as she dressed the wounds on her shoulder. He was disgusted with and furious at himself, and would understand if Tohru didn't forgive him. But the problem was she already had.

"I forgive you," she repeated after looking up from the gash on her shoulder. But that wasn't what Kyo wanted her to say. He did, of course, want Tohru's forgiveness, but it would have been better for everyone if she just took Kyoko and left without saying _anything_.

Kyo didn't respond to her statement, he just looked away and tried not to think about what was going to happen next. He was going to be taken away from his family, from the life he had built up. He said he wished Tohru left him, but _he_ wasn't strong enough to leave _her_. But there was one thing he could do.

His and Akito's old bet- Beating the Rat- was the only thing he could hope to do. It couldn't be too hard. After all, Kyo had beat Yuki easily after the Curse was broken, and ever since then, Yuki never beat him in a fight again. They had actually become friends after the Curse broke (Although now, for the life of him, Kyo couldn't imagine why they were ever friends) and their fights had usually been good-natured, but now Kyo was ready to take down that damn Rat.

"Kyo-kun..." Kyo's head snapped back toward Tohru and she continued uncertainly, "what did Akito-san mean by three days and a bet?"

Kyo didn't answer for a minute, he couldn't right away with all of the thoughts that were racing through his head. _It means Akito's going to lock me away. It means I have to beat Yuki. But I can't tell her that, she'll freak out. Not that she wouldn't have a reason to. I don't even need to tell her, but I should. I just need to beat Yuki then there will be no reason to even think about this._And they continued in a similar manner until a string of indiscernible words (even to him, the one thinking them) were flashing through his mind.

It was enough to make him dizzy. Before he could stop himself, he opened his mouth to explain. He avoided Tohru's sweet, innocent face so he wouldn't have to see it crumple when she knew the truth of what might happen.

"You knew what was going to happen to me, the Cat, when I graduated high school, right? C-Confinement." Kyo's voice choked over the last word. "Akito meant I have three days until then."

Tohru was silent, and Kyo still avoided looking at her face, but he did look at his daughter when she spoke for the first time since they left the clearing.

"What do you mean by confinement?" Kyoko hadn't so much as glanced at Kyo since they came back to house- she was probably afraid he was going to turn into something else horrible- but now that she actually spoke to him, Kyo didn't want to answer her.

He was going to open his mouth to answer, but was saved by a string of loud raps on the door. He stood up and stormed over to the door, ready to unleash his anger on whoever was unlucky enough to be knocking.

"What the hell do-" Kyo stopped when he saw a Yuki who looked similarily pissed. His wife, Machi, was standing behind him with their daughter in her arms. By the confused look on Machi's face, he could guess what had happened.

"What did you do, you stupid Cat?" Yuki growled at Kyo. "How did you manage to screw things up so badly?" Yuki hadn't spoke so condecendingly to him in twenty years, and Kyo was sure he had never hated the Rat more.

Maybe it was the two enemies seeing each other for the first time after such a long break from each other that was generating this intense hate, but Kyo didn't care what it was. That stupid Rat was standing on his porch, and this was the golden opportunity Kyo could take to escape his impending confinement.

"What did _I _do?" Kyo's hands balled up into fists and he narrowed his eyes at his reawakened mortal enemy.

"Yes, you. Akito said to talk to you about why the Curse is back. So. What. Did. You. Do. I want an-" Yuki's annoying ramblings were cut off by Kyo slamming his fist into said Rat's face.

"I didn't do a goddamn thing!" Kyo looked with some satisfaction at Yuki as he staggered back with his hand over his jaw.

"Kyo-kun, what's going on in-" Tohru screamed when she caught sight of Kyo following Yuki out the door, but he didn't pay any attention to that. He was only intent on pummeling Yuki. "Kyo-kun, stop!"

"What the hell?" Yuki recovered in a few seconds, and took a fighting stance with a glare at Kyo.

Kyo stood that way himself, in a serious way, not the casual way they usually fought, and it felt like slipping on an old, comfortable coat. He swung at Yuki again, but the Rat blocked it, then they were fighting again, just like they had almost every day as teenagers.

Kyo didn't hear Tohru, Machi, Kyoko, or Rena's worried, frantic, confused, and screaming words (or, in the youngest girl's case, just screaming), all he could see was the person he was trying to beat. It was proving surprisingly difficult, more so than usual. Kyo was getting a lot more damage then he was giving, and it was seriously pissing him off, not to mention he was rapidly losing his strength.

He swore loudly when one of Yuki's kicks hit him in the chest and sent him to the ground. For a minute he couldn't even move, he just lay on the

"Stupid Cat." Yuki looked down at Kyo and shook his head.

"Kyo-kun!" Tohru rushed over to Kyo's side, but he pushed her away and stood up. Yuki had moved back over to Machi's side and was helping her calm Rena down. He was presumably explaining things to Machi, but he was talking too softly for Kyo to hear. "Kyo-kun, are you alright?"

Kyo clenched his teeth and muttered, "I'm fine." But he wasn't fine at all. Now on top of hurting his wife and terrifying his daughter, the Curse had caused him to revert back into someone who couldn't even beat Yuki, who wasn't exactly strong. And now he knew there was no hope. He was going to be taken away, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Tohru-kun! Kyo!" Kyo froze and turned around slowly to see a car pulling up in the driveway. The driver had his window down and his normally smiling face was creased in worry. Did everyone Kyo hated have to come to his house?

Momiji parked and jumped out of his car. "What happened?! The Curse- And Akito said to come here!"

Kyo, even though he knew he was being irresponsible (Something he should have stopped being long ago) and juvenile (that probably should have stopped along with the irresponsible thing), shook his head and went back into the house. Was Akito going to send everyone to his house?

He couldn't deal with this. He was running away, just like always.


	5. Chapter 5

I'm having trouble writing as Tohru, so Kyoko's POV will be most of this. I was planning on having that as a whole new chapter, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Thank you to everyone who read/reviewed the last chapter! You guys are great :D Enjoy!

--

Tohru

"K-Kyo-kun...?" Tohru stared at Kyo's back as he stormed back into the house and tried to choose between going after him, or staying outside and explaining things.

"Mom, what just happened?" When Kyoko spoke it was decided for her. Kyo would probably need time to cool off, anyway.

_That was the way he always used to be._The thought made Tohru want to cry. He used to be so full of anger that he could hardly function around other people. Even though he still didn't like crowds or being alone around new people, he wasn't nearly as bad. She couldn't help but wonder if everything was going to be like they used to again.

Was everything he had gotten over going to come back: The anger, the violence, the swearing? Was it all because of the Curse.

"It was... Dad and Yuki-kun didn't get along very well when they were teenagers," Tohru was sure what she had just said would be counted as a lie, because it was such a huge understatement, "and... And it was like that. Because Dad was- is the Cat and Yuki-kun is the Rat. You know the story, right?"

Kyoko nodded, but didn't look like she understood, or maybe she just looked like she didn't believe Tohru.

"Tohru-kun?" Tohru jumped, she had forgotten all about Momiji.

"Y-Yes?" She asked and turned to look at the now-Rabbit. It was so strange to see him without a smile on his face, that she hardly recognized him now that he looked deathly serious.

"What happened? Akito said she came here first, and Kyo would explain things." She saw Yuki nod also- Everyone was looking at her for an explination, but she didn't have one. How could she? She had no idea what happened. The pressure for an answer was building, and Tohru felt like she was going to crack. She wanted to put her face in her hands and cry, but knew she had to stay- or at least pretend to stay- strong for her own sake as much as the others'.

"I-I'm not acutally sure. Maybe we should all go inside. I'll... Make tea and we can talk everything over." Tohru nodded to herself, that seemed like a good idea, and she could talk to Kyo while she made the tea.

Yes, an excuse for a chance to collect her thoughts seemed like a very good plan indeed.

--

Everyone gathered in the living room while Tohru went into the kitchen with the intention trying to figure out what to tell them. And make tea, of course.

"Kyo-kun, are you alright?" Kyo was sitting at the kitchen table with his head in his hands when Tohru entered the room, but when she said his name, he shot up out of his seat.

"Fine," he said shortly. He glared at the ground for a minute, and Tohru uneasily shifted her weight from foot to foot, unsure about what to say. She felt all of eighteen again. Kyo and Yuki had just gotten into a fight, and she had to diffuse Kyo's leftover temper. Only now, things were so much more serious.

"Tohru," all the anger was gone from his voice, and he just sounded tired, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that, or at least I should have explained things before I got into a fight with Yuki. It was stupid of me." He met Tohru's gaze for a second and then went back to staring at the floor. Oh yeah, it definitely felt like they were teenagers.

"I forgive you," she mumbled. "But you should still explain... Please?" Tohru still needed to know what bet Akito was talking about. She had a feeling it had something to do with Yuki- Why else would Kyo attack him so violently like that?- but she wasn't exactly sure what it could be.

_Knock-knock-knock_

Kyo swore softly, but not soft enough that Tohru missed it. "I'll go and get that," Tohru closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she went to answer the door.

* * *

Kyoko

Kyoko still had no idea what was going on. Since Yuki and Momiji showed up, all of the other Sohmas kept arriving at the house, until everyone was there except Shigure. Everyone seemed to be angry at her dad, but she didn't know how they could be. They hadn't been there, and Kyoko knew he wouldn't have asked for what happened, but no one asked her opinion, so she didn't say anything. It wasn't like she wanted to relive the experience, either.

Once everyone had gathered in their living room and Tohru had served tea, people began demanding an explanation again. Tohru had somehow convinced Kyo to sit with everyone, and it seemed the rest of the family was looking at and silently accusing him. Kyoko leaned up against the wall next to Hatsuharu, it was much too crowded for everyone to sit down, and waited to hear an explanation herself.

"Will someone tell us what the hell is going on?" Rin demanded. Haru nodded, but reminded her to watch her language around the kids.

"Ah!" Tohru jumped slightly at Haru's words and asked Kyoko, "Koko-chan, would you please go and play with Rena-chan for a little while? The adults need to talk."

Kyoko almost refused. _The adults need to talk. _Really, how old did her mom think she was? But everyone was staring at her now, so she just said, "Rena-chan, do you want to go play?"

"Okay!" The little girl didn't seem to be upset by any of this anymore, and she hopped off Machi's lap and trotted over to Kyoko. Kyoko managed a small smile, took the girl's hand and led her into her room.

After she dug a few old toys out of her closet to keep Rena interested, Kyoko sat at her doorway and tried to hear what the adults were saying. She was too far away to hear everything, but could catch a few snatches of the conversation if she really listened.

"Wasn't the Curse _broken_?"

"Can you just tell us what happened, Kyo?"

"I already told you this isn't-"

"I think it's more important that we figure out _how_ the Curse is back."

"Where's Shigure?"

"Do you think he..."

Kyoko tried to follow what they were talking about, but they might as well have been speaking in a foreign language. Everything they were mentioning Kyoko had no clue what they meant. She didn't know what the Curse was, besides that it made people turn into animals, but she hadn't seen anyone do that yet, so she wasn't even sure she believed it. They threw around the word confinement a few times, and talked about God a little, although Kyoko couldn't see what that had to do with anything. As far as she knew, none of the Sohmas were very religious.

"Koko-chan, will you play this with me?" Kyoko's focus was broken by Rena, and she looked over into her wide, innocent eyes. She had no idea what was going on, either, and how could Kyoko say no to such a cute little kid? The girl was holding a Candyland box, a game they had played together a few times.

"Sure." Kyoko took the box and began setting up the game.

--

After what seemed like hours of Candyland, there was a soft rap on the door and Yuki came inside. "Rena, it's time to go," he said. "Thank you, Kyoko."

Rena pouted a little, but eventually followed her dad out the door.

With an almost relieved sigh- looking after Rena was getting a little old- Kyoko exited also. Everyone else was leaving the house when Kyoko reached the living room, and they all looked as angry as they had when they arrived. Apparently, all of their 'adult talk' didn't get them anywhere.

Kyoko waved and said goodbye to the remaining people, and when Hiro and Kisa, the last two to leave, walked out the door, Tohru let out a small groan and collapsed onto the couch.

"Are you okay, mom?" Kyoko was worried, scared even. Her mom didn't really show weakness, just the acts of her groaning, practically throwing herself down, and putting her hand over her eyes made it look like she was going to cry. Sure, Tohru cried, but hardly ever because she was upset.

"Oh, yes," Tohru replied. Her voice sounded tired, but it didn't sound like she was crying. In fact, when she uncovered her eyes, she smiled in a way that actually looked natural. "Just fine."

"Hey, Mom..." Kyoko had been thinking about something since before Yuki arrived, and felt she needed an answer. "What did Dad mean by confinement?"

Tohru's smile slipped for a moment, but was replaced almost as quickly. "I- I think that's something Dad should explain to you. He's up on the roof."

--

"Dad?" Kyoko peered over the top of the roof before she climbed the last rung of the ladder and joined her father.

He was sitting crossed-legged in the middle of the roof and staring off into the distance, but his head snapped toward her when she spoke. Truth be told, Kyoko almost wanted to climb back down the ladder again. Even though she was ashamed to admit it, she was still afraid.

This person who transformed into strange things, attacked his friend and then _lost _no less, and stormed away like someone her age, was not her dad. Her dad was usually level-headed, strong, and reasonable, if sometimes annoying, but Kyoko didn't know what to expect now.

"Dad, um, can I ask you something?"

Kyo looked uncomfortable, but nodded stiffly. "Sure, what is it?"

"What... What did you mean earlier about confinement? What does confinement mean?" She shuffled a little closer to him, but still kept a bit of a distance.

She half expected her dad to get angry, but it was worse when his whole body sagged and he closed his eyes like he was trying to keep himself from crying. No way, he couldn't cry. He had never cried before, that Kyoko knew of. He put his face in his hands and groaned softly, but when he moved his hands and looked at Kyoko, his eyes were dry.

"Kyoko," She knew something serious was coming, because neither of her parents called her by her real name when something heavy was coming, "you should sit down, I have to explain some things. It might take a while." Kyoko moved a little closer and sat so she was facing Kyo. He looked so much older than she was used to seeing him. He wasn't even that old, but he looked like the day was really taking its toll on him.

"When we used to tell you the story of the Zodiac Curse, Mom and I made it sound, well, a lot nicer than it was... Is." Kyoko could actually see that now, but she didn't point it out. "We only talked about the changing into animals, and I think we gave off the impression that it was something fun. Since you were never going to have to see what it is really like, we glossed it over and made it a good bedtime story.

But there are other things. The changing into our respective Zodiac member is real, but it's deeper than that. Akito is like god, she has control over us. It's forbidden to let anyone outside of the family to know about the Curse. And... And the Cat, me, is locked up because I can turn into a... a Monster. I'm sorry I never mentioned any of this, but I never thought you would have to know."

Kyoko's head was spinning. She couldn't comprehend everything. God? Locked up? "How long... Is the, um, the Cat locked up?"

Kyo looked away, and Kyoko saw him narrow his eyes at some unseen thing that he was angry at. "For life," he almost whispered.

Kyoko blinked, still unable to process everything. And then it sank in. For _life_? She couldn't deal with this. Even if she was a little afraid of her dad at the moment, she didn't want him to be taken away _forever_. "I-I'm going to just..." She didn't finish her sentence, she just stood up and walked away, too afraid to hear the next bad piece of news that was sure to come.

She was running away, but like father like daughter, right?


	6. Chapter 6

So... Akito isn't actually evil in this, although she seems like it, and I like making her seem like it (ha-ha), but you see... Well, you'll see I suppose. And I _will_ get into _how_ the Curse came back, but not yet... Soon, perhaps. And before you say, "Rawr, Shigure isn't like that, he totally loves her!" just think about how things might not always be what they seem. Yesh... _And the editor mentioned isn't Mitsuru-san_. There's a back story involving her quitting that someday I might include...

Thank you to everyone who read/reviewed the last story! I really appreciate your support! Enjoy!

--

Akito

Akito glared at the reflection in the mirror above her dresser and clenched her fists tightly at her sides. All she could see was a wretched, ugly, rejected woman. Her life, her feelings, all the efforts she had ever made was a big, fat waste, and that was something the goddess couldn't handle. Her whole existence was making her sick.

With a strangled yell, Akito slammed her fist into the center of the mirror as hard as she could, but was only rewarded with the mirror cracking in a spider web shape where she had hit it, and a few splintering cracks branching out from there. That and an aching hand of course.

She buried her face in her hands and tried to hold back the sobs that were surely on their way- She hadn't cried since... Since _it_ happened. Instead she had gotten angry and snapped, but she couldn't keep from crying for much longer or she would go _completely_ insane. But then, instead of crying, she thought about that day, and about the Curse. _That_ raised her mood, yes it did. She was God again. She was in charge. The bond was back, and her Zodiac loved her again.

Even that goddamn Shigure. Or he would soon enough.

He was to blame for this. Akito had directed the Zodiac to Kyo, but only because she was the first one she had gone to, and that was because she needed to see someone else suffering as much as (or more than) she was. Who better to start with than the most damned of all the monsters she now lorded over, the Cat?

But back to Shigure. _His fault, his fault, this is all his fault._ Akito repeated that over and over, so she could convince herself that Shigure was the one to blame, and she hadn't driven him away, driven him to another woman.

If she hadn't caught him- No, she wouldn't think about that now. She would only concentrate on how he would be hers soon, even if she was forcing him to be. When he came back to the house, he would eventually, if only to get his things, she would show him. He was the last one she needed to complete the group of possessed Zodiac, and she _would_ have them all.

Akito stared again into the now broken mirror at her reflection. The cracks made her face look warped and twisted. A grim smile passed over her face as she acknowledged that her reflection now matched her state of mind.

"Akito? Darling?" Akito's blood boiled, her brain went numb, and it was like her bones disappeared at the sound of Shigure's voice.

"You." Akito spun around to face the unlucky recipient of her wrath. "What do you want? Get out! Get out and stay away from me!" Her anger level was rising to the point that she wouldn't be able to see anything around her in a few moments.

"Akito, what you saw wasn't-"

"Wasn't _what_? Wasn't what I thought it was? You weren't kissing that whore you call an editor?" Akito snarled at the good-for-nothing man. His expression gave off the impression that he was the one who was suffering here. So Akito wasn't the one who should be hurt? She wasn't the one who should be pissed? She shouldn't be the one who wanted to kill him?

But no, that wasn't true. She didn't want to kill him, she still loved him. No. _No._ "No!" Akito covered her ears and shut her eyes tightly, like she could block out her thoughts.

_I can't love him. He hurt me, and I can't forgive him. I hate him, hate him, hate him. This is his fault_. Akito kept repeating similar thoughts to herself until she was steady enough to look at Shigure again. "You bastard, I told you to _get out_!" When Shigure opened his mouth again, Akito slapped him with as much force as she could muster before he could get a word out.

The look of confusion and shock that passed over his face was oddly satisfying. It was the same look that he had when she walked in on him and he was locking lips with that blond bimbo. Akito felt a surge of power as he was repossessed by the spirit of the Dog. While he was defenseless and confused, Akito pushed him out of the room and out the front door. She slammed it behind him and made a mental note to get the locks changed the next day.

Without her yelling anything, the house was overpoweringly silent, and horribly, unbearably empty. For the first time since everything started falling apart, Akito wrapped her arms around herself, fell to her knees, and let herself sob.

Kyoko

The night and the next day passed quickly. Whether it was because everyone was dreading the third day to come, or that they were all just too dazed to notice the time pass, before anyone knew it, it was Saturday night. Kyoko hadn't been brave enough to sit in a room alone with either of her parents because she was afraid of the topic of her dad leaving coming up. As far as she knew, that was why her parents weren't spending every waking hour together like they usually did.

Not that it was for want of her mom trying, though. Throughout the day she had been trying to get Kyo to talk to her, and she was getting more and desperate each time.

"Kyo-kun, please, please just talk to me. Akito-san is coming tomorrow." Tohru was clinging to Kyo's arm and following him to the kitchen. Kyoko had been trying to read a book, but couldn't concentrate on it, but watching her parents wasn't much better. Her mom being so desperate- it was unlike her- and her dad brushing Tohru off- he was definitely not himself today- was making Kyoko a little sick to her stomach.

She left them to their talking (if they would ever get that far) and retreated to her room. Once there, though, she was at a loss for what to do. It was Saturday, so she didn't want to do any homework, and it wasn't like she'd be able to concentrate on it anyway.

With a sigh, Kyoko lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling apathetically. She let herself zone out and tried not to think about anything, until she was brought back to reality by a voice from the living room.

"_God dammit, Tohru!_ There's nothing for us to talk about!" Just hearing her dad yell at her mom was enough to make Kyoko sit bolt upright surprise. As far as Kyoko knew, her parents didn't fight. Even when they argued, it usually ended up with them laughing or at least talking things out calmly, but her dad raising her voice at her mom was something new, and Kyoko didn't want to hear it.

It was just more proof that everything she knew was going down the drain.

So the girl lay back down, covered her head with a pillow, and tried her best to get some rest.

Tohru

Tohru's world was falling apart, that she was sure of. The Curse, the miscommunication, the constant knot of fear that developed in her stomach, it was all a sure sign that nothing was ever going to be the same again.

Kyo had apologized, but his eyes were closed, he was pacing, rubbing the bridge of his nose, and Tohru could see his jaw clenching, probably to keep himself from yelling again. "But there's nothing for us to talk about, nothing we can do." She could tell from his voice that he was already resigned to leaving, and that was terrifying. If he was sure he was going to be taken away, was it all up to her to keep Akito away? She didn't know if she could handle that.

"Do you _want_ to go, Kyo-kun?" Tohru put her hands over her eyes and ineffectively tried to hide her sudden overflow of tears. She wanted to be strong for her family, so they could depend on her, but she had to face the fact that she just wasn't strong, and that just was making her cry harder.

"No, no, of course not." She was a little reassured by the genuine-sounding horror in his voice at her question, but when he continued, the knot in her stomach twisted tighter. "I just... I just would never be able to forgive myself if I accidentally hurt you, or hurt Kyoko." Then his voice lowered to a quiet murmur, and he seemed to be speaking to himself. "It might be better if I just-"

"N-No! No, it would never be better if you were taken away! K-Kyo-kun, if you don't want to go with Akito, we can just leave." Leaving was something Tohru had been thinking about all day. If they just left without telling anyone where they were going, Akito couldn't find them. It wasn't like they would never come back. They could after the Curse was broken again, which it would be. If it had broken once before, it could break again.

She uncovered her eyes and saw Kyo staring at her in disbelief. "Did you really say that we can just leave? Tohru, we can't do that. Akito would find us- Probably through the bond or something- and would hurt you. The only way I could stay out of confinement would be to win that stupid bet... To beat Yuki."

Tohru wanted to tell him that his leaving would hurt her, or that she would risk Akito to get a little longer with him, but the knowledge of the 'bet' Kyo made with Akito was presiding over everything else. "You... You bet that you could beat Yuki-kun?" The Cat wasn't able to breathe the Rat; it was just how they were made. Kyo even told Tohru that after the Curse was broken for the first time. "B-But, Kyo-kun, don't you remember what you said after the Curse was broken? You beat Yuki-kun and then you told me, 'I could never win against him before, because the Curse was stopping me.'" She chewed at her bottom lip and watched him anxiously.

"I... I'm stronger than him," Kyo growled, but it sounded like he was trying to convince himself. "I- I can... Fuck, I know I can't beat him." All the fight visibly went out of Kyo, and that might have been the scariest thing that had happened so far. His shoulders sagged and he stared at her with a distant expression. His voice was resigned when he said, "Tohru, there's nothing we can do. I just- I have to go."

No... He was really going to be taken away, wasn't he? Tohru thought she could stop this, she thought Kyo would be able to stay with her, but if he was so sure, so positive that Akito was going to confine him, what hope was there? Tohru couldn't deal with that, she couldn't live without him.

"K-K-Kyo-kun, you can't... You can't..." Tohru couldn't speak through her renewed tears, and she could hardly even think. So when Kyo put his hand on her shoulder and whispered, "I'm sorry," she instinctively fell against him and wrapped her arms around his torso.

She shouldn't have been surprised, but still was, when Kyo disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared as a cat in her arms. Suddenly Tohru was so worn out by everything that was happening, and the thought of what was going to happen the next day.

"Kyo-kun, do you want to go to bed?" She wasn't sure what time it was, or if it was late enough to consider it bedtime, but Tohru needed to sleep.

"...Yeah." Tohru sniffed back her tears, stood up, and headed to their room while still holding Kyo. Neither of them mentioned the Curse, and she tried to convince herself that the next day, things would work themselves out.


	7. Chapter 7

Wowza, I'm really sorry for taking so long with this. I really don't know why I did, because I already knew how this chapter was going to play out. I have been busy with other things, though, but I won't bore you with excuses! I will mention, though, that I Furuba 21 came out around here and I've decided not to take that book into account. This story is minus events in 21 and 20 even.  
I'll just say again, that I'm sorry. Anyway, there's a backstory about why Kyoko doesn't call Shishou "grandpa." I think I'll have a chapter of side stories one day, I already have threeish in mind...  
Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! You readers are my motivation and such. :3. Please enjoy this chapter as well!

--

"Pass the eggs, please."

"Here you go."

"Mom, this food is really good."

Kyo felt like he was in a play. He was sure if he really was, the audience would be holding its collective breath and waiting for something horrible to happen that would break the seemingly tranquil morning. He knew he was, anyway.

Things were almost the opposite of the day before. Where as yesterday everyone was avoiding each other like the plague, now the Sohma family was "happily" eating breakfast. Kyo felt like at least acting happy was the only way he could make up for the fight he and Tohru had the night before.... And for what was going to happen.

Although he might not have shown it very well, Kyo didn't want to leave his family. He was terrified at the thought of having to be separated from Tohru and Kyoko and just as afraid of having to spend eternity with Akito. But whenever he thought of hurting Tohru or Kyoko on accident if his bracelet ever came off, about never being able to hug them again, about having to live his life carefully again so he didn't accidentally bump into a woman and expose the Curse (he cringed at the thought of the dammed Curse being back), he was almost more afraid.

If he wasn't such a coward, he might have opted for suicide.

"Thank you, Koko-chan. Ah, Kyo-kun, when is Shishou-san... Coming over today?" Tohru's tone was light, but they both knew why Shishou was coming over. Kyo had called him the night before- he probably should have talked to him immediately after Akito came over- and Shishou insisted on being there to help stop Akito from taking Kyo. Tohru's question might as well have been "When is Akito coming over?".

"Shishou's coming over today? Why didn't anyone tell _me_that?" Kyoko had gone from staying as far as she could from him and Tohru to voluntarily eating with them overnight. Kyo could only guess that it was because she didn't want the last few hours they would all be together as a family.

"We just talked yesterday evening," he told his daughter, "and I'm not sure when. Probably some time this morning." Morning was probably when they were both coming over.

"Oh, okay then." The strain in Tohru's voice to keep it cheery was evident, but she kept eating valiantly without giving any other clues that she was upset.

They continued eating in a heavy silence for a while, until a knock came on the door. All three of them stood up, but Tohru was the first to say, in a voice that was an octave higher than normal, "I-I'll get that. It's probably Shishou-san."

Tohru went to the door, and even though she said she would get it, Kyo and Kyoko followed her. Kyo put his hand on Tohru's back in a feeble attempt to comfort both of them (Hey, if they looked like they had it together, they did, right?) and told himself, _It's Shishou. Shishou is here, not Akito._

Kyo held his breath as Tohru wrapped her hand around the door handle; he was almost too afraid to watch. He tried to act unafraid, but still winced when she she started to slide the door open.

The person on the other side was definitely not Shishou.

"Kyo, it's time to go." Akito was alone, and she was staring at him coldly from the front porch. Kyo felt his blood freeze, and any protests or words at all catch in his throat. He was going to leave, he was really going to be taken away.

"N-no," was all Kyo could choke out. Panic was overtaking him, and his frantic mind couldn't imagine anything worse than being taken away by Akito. Nothing could be worse than the impending isolation and the inevitable separation from his family.

Tohru suddenly spun around so she was facing Kyo and took his hands in hers. "Kyo-kun, don't leave! You can't go. We... We need you here with us." But Kyo didn't need he eyes shining with tears to convince him, not now with the threat of confinement staring him in the face.

Because, really, he _needed_ to be at home. "Not" just for himself, but for his family, too, right? Right. He was the main financial supporter of the family, and... And he didn't want to go.

So Kyo looked Akito in the eye- or in her general direction anyway- and told her in an almost steady voice, "I'm not... I'm not leaving." He squeezed Tohru's hands and tried not to start shaking. He had forgotten how terrifying it could be just to stand in Akito's presence.

"You're _not_leaving?" Akito raised her eyebrows and took a step into the house. Kyo took a step back without realizing it.

_Damn it! I'm supposed to be looking brave_, Kyo scolded himself. This wasn't working out; Kyo was scared senseless, even if he would never admit that out loud. He couldn't help it, though. There was just something so intimidating about the way Akito was staring at him.

"N-No. I'm not." Kyo's voice held less considerably conviction than he would have liked it to. "I'm..." Akito's incessant stare made Kyo trail off. He was suddenly unable to think of anything to say that would get his point across; It was obvious that the goddess wouldn't change her mind, but he _had_ to stay. He just couldn't be taken away to whatever horrible fate awaited him. "I'm..."

"He's staying here." Tohru's voice had much more conviction than Kyo's did, and he was grateful at least one of them wasn't afraid of Akito.

A small smirk passed over Akito's face and her gaze flicked to Tohru for a minute, but she didn't waste much time on paying attention to her. Instead, Akito in two long strides, she passed Tohru and took hold of Kyo's wrist before he even had time to register what was happening.

"Think of what will happen if you stay," she whispered in Kyo's ear. "It would be so easy for this-" she fingered his bracelet "-to just break." Akito tugged on the bracelet lightly and Kyo's mind blanked. Every thought of resisting Akito disappeared, and the only thing he could think was, _Oh, god, if it does break, I won't be able to stay human._

And, as though she could read his mind, Akito continued, "You wouldn't be able to change back, not for very long anyway. Every time you got angry, you would become a monster. And just imagine what would happen if you were angry at Tohru or Kyoko..." She trailed off, and Kyo _did_ imagine it. He would hurt them, maybe even kill them before he could become human again.

He shouldn't even be allowed near them.

He had to go with Akito.

"What are you saying to him? Kyo-kun? Kyo-kun!" He would have to leave Tohru and Kyoko. The realization of that truth sent fear coursing through him, but... But they would be safe.

"Well, Kyo?" Kyo felt the blood drain from his face as he nodded. He was sure that he looked terrified, but he _had_ to go.

"Kyo-kun, why are you nodding? K-Kyo-kun, where are you... What are you..." Kyo had started to follow Akito outside, but Tohru wouldn't let go of his hands.

"Dad? Why are you leaving? I thought... you weren't leaving."

What if this was the last time he saw Tohru and Kyoko? Kyo at least had to say goodbye. "T-Tohru," he couldn't keep his voice from cracking, and he could feel tears coming on, but he had look strong, for them, right? "Tohru, I love you." He turned around to face her and saw she looked as afraid as he felt. He needed to say goodbye, but he didn't think the words would come out. So instead he pried his hands from Tohru's, took her face in his hands and, ignoring the fact that there was anyone else around, kissed her as hard as he could without pulling her to him. He tried to tell her the things he couldn't say aloud: _I'll miss you. I wish I could make this up to you. Goodbye..._

"Kyo-kun, I love you too," Tohru said tearfully when they pulled apart. "Don't go, you don't have to, please."

It was killing him to see her like that, crying and begging him to stay, and to know that he was hurting her. But he did have to go, and he told her, but he wasn't sure if Tohru could understand him with how much his voice was shaking.

When Kyo could tear his eyes away from Tohru, he turned to Kyoko. Unlike her mother, Kyoko wasn't crying. She was just frozen in place, her eyes wide and confused. He heard Akito clear her throat impatiently, but Kyo still bridge the gap that was between him and his daughter, and put his hands on her shoulders. It was as close as he could come to hugging her without actually doing just that.

"Kyoko, I love you, too."

"You too," she answered softly. Kyo planted a kiss on her forehead and, before he could loose his nerve, turned around and started walking toward Akito's car. He could hear Tohru trying to get him to come back, and at one point she grabbed onto his arm again, but he shrugged her off. He kept his amber eyes trained on Akito's back a few feet in front of him; if he looked back, he was sure he wouldn't be able to leave.

He hadn't had enough time with either of them, and he had thought he would have forever.

But he was protecting them now.

When he and Akito reached the car, she motioned for Kyo to get inside. He got into the car, buried his face in his hands without bothering with a seatbelt and let himself mourn everything he was leaving behind.


End file.
